Are You Rooted and Bearing Fruit?

Jesus’ Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:3–9 NKJV

3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Matthew 13:3–9 RVR60

3 Y les habló muchas cosas por parábolas, diciendo: He aquí, el sembrador salió a sembrar. 4 Y mientras sembraba, parte de la semilla cayó junto al camino; y vinieron las aves y la comieron. 5 Parte cayó en pedregales, donde no había mucha tierra; y brotó pronto, porque no tenía profundidad de tierra; 6 pero salido el sol, se quemó; y porque no tenía raíz, se secó. 7 Y parte cayó entre espinos; y los espinos crecieron, y la ahogaron. 8 Pero parte cayó en buena tierra, y dio fruto, cuál a ciento, cuál a sesenta, y cuál a treinta por uno. 9 El que tiene oídos para oír, oiga.

Types:

Wayside/Al Camino - Birds/Las Aves

Stony Places/Pedregales - No Depth/No Profundidad de Tierra

Couldn’t handle the heat/No pude soportar el calor

Thorns/Espinos - Choked/La ahogaron

Good Ground/Buena Tierra - Yielded Crops/Dio Fruto

WHAT IS THE POINT?

WHY IS JESUS TELLING THEM THIS PARABLE?

The point is the the Gospel is supposed to be received, rooted, and fruit-bearing.

The sower is Jesus in His case, and today it is the one declaring the good news of Jesus.

Matthew 13:18–19 NKJV

18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.

Matthew 13:18–19 RVR60

18 Oíd, pues, vosotros la parábola del sembrador: 19 Cuando alguno oye la palabra del reino y no la entiende, viene el malo, y arrebata lo que fue sembrado en su corazón. Este es el que fue sembrado junto al camino.

Matthew 13:20–21 NKJV

20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

Matthew 13:20–21 RVR60

20 Y el que fue sembrado en pedregales, éste es el que oye la palabra, y al momento la recibe con gozo; 21 pero no tiene raíz en sí, sino que es de corta duración, pues al venir la aflicción o la persecución por causa de la palabra, luego tropieza.

Matthew 13:22 NKJV

22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

Matthew 13:22 RVR60

22 El que fue sembrado entre espinos, éste es el que oye la palabra, pero el afán de este siglo y el engaño de las riquezas ahogan la palabra, y se hace infructuosa.

Matthew 13:23 NKJV

23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Matthew 13:23 RVR60

23 Mas el que fue sembrado en buena tierra, éste es el que oye y entiende la palabra, y da fruto; y produce a ciento, a sesenta, y a treinta por uno.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH YOU ARE?

WE ALL WANT TO BE THE GOOD SOIL BEARING GOOD FRUIT.

For this, I want to use Paul’s description found in Galatians 5 where he is encouraging the reader to Walk in the Spirit and he compares works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit.

As we read these, see if any fit your life:

Galatians 5:19–21 NKJV

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19–21 RVR60

19 Y manifiestas son las obras de la carne, que son: adulterio, fornicación, inmundicia, lascivia, 20 idolatría, hechicerías, enemistades, pleitos, celos, iras, contiendas, disensiones, herejías, 21 envidias, homicidios, borracheras, orgías, y cosas semejantes a estas; acerca de las cuales os amonesto, como ya os lo he dicho antes, que los que practican tales cosas no heredarán el reino de Dios.

Adultery is having sex with someone you are not married to.

Fornication is having sex before marriage.

Uncleanness is impurity

Lewdness is sensuality or sexual lust

Idolatry is putting something in the highest place in your life

Sorcery is witchcraft

Hatred is wishing someone was dead

Contentions are fighting for the sake of fighting

Jealousy looks at what someone else has and dislikes them for having it

Outbursts of Wrath is a lack of self-control when things upset you

Selfish ambitions are seeking your own good at the expense of someone else

Dissensions are discord or disunity.

Heresy is believing something contrary to the truth of God’s Word

Envy is wanting what someone else has. Different than jealousy because jealousy is how you feel about them, and Envy is wishing you have what they have.

Murder is killing someone without just cause

Drunkenness is when a substance has control of your faculties

Revelries/Orgies are gatherings involving unrestrained indulgences in sexual activity and drinking

and the Like - If it doesn’t please God, and I didn’t mention it above, place it here. If the Holy Spirit is revealing something to you, it falls under “the like”

These things destroy your relationship with God and if you allow them to become a part of your life, you are not a Christian and you will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

These are Waysides, Stony Paths, and Thorns.

These ARE NOT good soil. You cannot have these things in your life and be “good soil” or produce fruit.

Here is the next list. This is the fruit of the Spirit that is displayed in those who Walk in the Spirit Gal 5:16

Galatians 5:16 NKJV

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:16 RVR60

16 Digo, pues: Andad en el Espíritu, y no satisfagáis los deseos de la carne.

Here it is

Galatians 5:22–25 NKJV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–25 RVR60

22 Mas el fruto del Espíritu es amor, gozo, paz, paciencia, benignidad, bondad, fe, 23 mansedumbre, templanza; contra tales cosas no hay ley. 24 Pero los que son de Cristo han crucificado la carne con sus pasiones y deseos. 25 Si vivimos por el Espíritu, andemos también por el Espíritu.

Love is a choice to value others like God does

Joy is a choice to see life through God’s eyes

Peace is a choice to live in His security

Long suffering is a choice to put up with people even when we don’t want to

Kindness is a choice to show others the goodness God has shown us

Goodness is a choice to allow the love of God to overflow out of our heart

Faithfulness is a choice to remain committed

Gentleness is a choice to apply self-control in all circumstances

Self-Control is a choice to submit your desires and selfishness to die on the cross He called us to carry

WHICH ARE YOU? Wayside? Stony Places? Thorns? or Good Soil?

You don’t have to stay there. Jesus is calling those of us who have an ear to hear - let them hear Matt 13:9 “9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!””